Abstract

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is an increasingly common disorder, with an estimated annual incidence of 7.5 cases per 100 000 persons (1). Approximately 10 000 persons in the United States die of the disease each year (2), and the mortality rate in patients with the disorder is approximately 20% per year (although this percentage differs greatly among reported studies) (3-8). This mortality rate is substantially higher than that in patients who have had myocardial infarctions (10% the first year after infarction and 3% to 5% per year thereafter) (9). In about 50% of the cases, death in patients with idiopathic dilated